What are some of your favorite family traditions and local minhag?

Hello everyone! Before I give the background on why I am making this post feel free to comment some of your favorite family traditions/local customs and why. This can be meal, special observances of holidays, Shabbat activities, anything really that you could see as a tradition or custom. Thank you!

Here is the background on why I am making this post:

My family is Ashkenazi. I did not grow up Jewish. It wasn’t hidden from me but it was not encouraged either. Many of the traditions that I grew up celebrating were my family’s Polish, and Slovakian traditions. Once I got to college I could finally start to learn about my Jewish heritage, my grandparents religion, and now my religion. I grew up hearing Tanakh stories, I loved them.

Now that I am an adult and have since started practicing Judaism its been a weird journey. Two of my very close friends’ families have “adopted” me as their own. I am incredibly grateful for both of them. My one friend’s mother is a Rabbi and has been helping me to learn about Judaism. She has encouraged me to form my own traditions as I do not have any. Typically I have resorted to my local Chabad and her for opinions on what the traditional approach is, out of those I tend to choose a more hybridized view.

This brings me to the question I asked at the beginning. What traditions or local customs do you have that you love? Why do you do/celebrate/eat that thing that way?

Thank you so much for your wonderful contributions and please note I do like Gefilte fish but I do not like sweet noodle koogel.